Woman gets 10-year sentence in drug-deal shooting

A woman was sentenced to 10 years in prison Thursday in connection with a fatal shooting in Beaufort in 2011, according to the U.S. Attorney Bill Nettles.

Roqel Connors, 23, of Garnett and formerly of Beaufort, was found guilty in federal court in Charleston of discharging a firearm as part of a drug trafficking crime, a news release from Nettles' office said.

Connors killed Mark Kevin Jones, 51, of Burton during a drug deal that went awry on Dec. 13, 2011, according to Beaufort police. Jones drove two men to Canal Apartments off Salem Road to buy drugs from Connors, police have said.

During the exchange, police said, one of the men attempted to steal drugs and money from Connors, and an argument ensued. Connors pulled a Glock handgun from her purse and fired one shot at Jones from outside the car, the release said. The bullet struck the back of his head.

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Jones was found slumped over the steering wheel of a Chrysler PT Cruiser near the entrance of the apartment complex.

Connors was charged with manslaughter, possession with intent to distribute a controlled substance and possession of a firearm during the commission of a violent crime by Beaufort police. She was released from the county jail on $150,000 bail, according to the jail log.

Connors also received five years of supervised release to follow the prison sentence.

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